1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording system having an automatic sheet supplying apparatus, and more particularly, it relates to a recording system having a removable automatic sheet supplying apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
In a recording system such as a printer, copying machine, facsimile and the like, which is used with a computer, word processor or the like, or is used independently, a sheet-shaped recording medium such as a paper or a thin plastic sheet is supplied and fed and an image is recorded on the recording medium in accordance with image information. Such recording systems can be grouped into ink jet recording systems, wire dot recording systems, thermal recording systems and laser beam recording systems.
Among them, the ink jet recording system records an image by discharging ink from a recording means (recording head) onto a recording medium and has many advantages. For example, with an ink jet recording system it is possible to record the image with high resolving power at a high speed, to record the image on a plain paper without special treatment of the paper, there is less noise due to non-impact recording method, and a color image can easily be recorded with plural color inks. In particular, it is possible to record an image at a higher speed by using an ink jet recording system of a line type wherein a number of ink discharge openings are arranged along a direction transverse to a width of the recording medium.
Particularly, the ink jet recording means that utilizes heat as ink discharging energy can easily be manufactured with a high density liquid passage arrangement (high density discharge opening arrangement) by forming electrical/thermal converters, electrodes and liquid passage walls on or in a substrate plate and forming a top plate by using a semi-conductor manufacturing process such as etching, and/or depositing techniques.
In such a recording system, recording sheets used as the recording media may consist of thicker sheets such as post cards, envelops or the like, or special sheets such as thin plastic sheets, as well as plain paper. The recording sheets may be manually supplied one by one or may be automatically and continuously supplied by an automatic sheet supplying apparatus.
Generally, the automatic sheet supplying appaaratus comprises a sheet supply drive unit for rotating a sheet supply roller to feed out a recording sheet, and a sheet supply cassette unit for stacking the recording sheets, and is constructed so that the recording sheet is separated and supplied one by one by driving the sheet supply roller in synchronous with a sheet feeding means of the recording system: However, in a conventional recording system to which an automatic sheet supplying apparatus is connected, there arose a problem in that a large installation space was required when the sheet supplying apparatus was connected to the recording system. Further, if the installation space required when the both are connected is reduced, then when the sheet supplying apparatus is detached from the recording system, the respective systems will be unstable and the accommodating space will be increased. In addition, since it is very difficult to ensure the required positioning accuracy when the both are connected, it takes a long time to connect the sheet supplying apparatus to the recording system, and the accuracy in the feeding of the recording sheet is worsened.
In FIG. 25 schematically showing a conventional technique, an ink jet recording system 110 includes therein a sheet conveying means (platen roller) 111, and a carrier means 112 on which a recording head is mounted. On the other hand, an automatic sheet supplying apparatus 113 includes therein a sheet supply roller 115 for supplying a recording sheet 114. By rotating the sheet supply roller 115, the recording sheet 114 is supplied into the ink jet recording system 110 via a guide roller 116. In this case, the positional relation between the recording system and the sheet supplying apparatus is determined by a condition that the both are installed on a table 117. If a surface of the table is rough, the positional relation between the recording system and the sheet supplying apparatus will be disordered, with the result that the recording sheet cannot be properly supplied, thus causing a poor sheet supply.